Self-, other-, and ideal-judgments of risk and caution as a function of the five-factor model of personality

We predicted that four 'Big Five' personality dimensions-Openness, Agreeabl eness, Neuroticism, and Conscientiousness-would be related to participants' responses to decisions in risky and cautious situations. Three hundred and five students completed the NEO PI-R [Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R, (1992). R evised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory ( NEO-FFI): professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resourc es]. They then made self-other-, and ideal-judgments on risky and cautious dilemmas [Kogan, N. & Wallach, M. (1964). Risk-taking: a study irt cognitio n nod personality. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston]. People high in Op enness made more extreme self- and ideal-judgments on risky dilemmas. Peopl e high in Agreeableness made more extreme, socially valued judgments across risky and cautious dilemmas. People high in Conscientiousness made more ex treme ideal judgments on cautious dilemmas. People high in Neuroticism made more extreme ideal-judgments on risky dilemmas. These findings suggest tha t personality influences people's perceptions of risk and caution. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.